Does Ivy League degree matters?

[swc12nap1]

To the professional pilots out there who got their undergraduate degrees (aviation or not aviation-related) from Ivy Leage schools or big-name schools like Stanford, Duke, UC-Berkeley, you name it, did that (if ever) influence in advancing your career? To those instead who came from regular universities but advanced fast or who think they are very successful, how did you attain where you are right now? No easy answer I know but answer as best as you can.

 

[mullet]

Absolutely not!!!

 

[banned username 2]

Nope... But you should get a Bachelor Degree... Don't stop at the Associates...

 

[Ty Webb]

The best advice is to get a degree in something marketable. Aviation is so cyclical, you will probably graduate into either a boom or a bust cycle . . . . and if itbecomes a bust cycle, and you have a degree in something marketable, you will be very, very glad you do.

Good luck.

 

[350DRIVER]

Does not matter at all.


3 5 0

 

[bart]

In flying, to might even hurt you to have Ivy League credentials. Outside of being a pilot, having a degree from the best college you can get into is a good idea. A large part of college is meeting people with different backgrounds and interests and making friends that will last a lifetime.

I can tell you that there have been several occasions for me that I heard about jobs (ouside of flying) and had a crack at them before anyone else because of people I knew from college.

As far as moving quickly along in an aviation career, generally, everyone is looking for experience. A degree may help, but they are much more interested in your experience and what former employers have to say about you. Aviation careers move at a pretty well defined pace. There are exceptions, some from luck and others from hard work, but I doubt any from having a degree from Duke or Stanford.

Degrees from big name schools can be helpful in the business world your first 5 years out of school, but that is about it. After that, it is your talent and skills that drive your salary. From my experience as a pilot, there are limited opportunities to drive revenue or reduce costs for the company you work for, and as such, limited opportunities to differentiate oneself and drive compensation.

 

[LJDRVR]

No, but good writing skills do!

"Does ivy league degree matters?"

or is it;

"Do ivy leage degrees matter?"

Just funnin' ya!

 

[Typhoon1244]

Re: No, but good writing skills do!

"Does ivy league degree matters?" ...or is it... "Do ivy leage degrees matter?"

Don't take any chances: "Does ivies leagues degrees matters?"

 

[Publishers]

only

Only to the person paying for the education

 

[BluDevAv8r]

I graduated from Duke in 1999. I don't think my alma mater had much to do with my getting hired at Continental Express or with my job as a CFI out in CA. I do believe however that a college degree helps (the area of study doesn't matter) more than not having one.

Personally, I chose Duke because it was the very best school that I was accepted to. It was definitely the right choice for me. I flew on the weekends and graduated with a degree in Economics and a CFI/MEI, etc. Sure, if I was going to become an investment banker or apply to law school, the "Duke" name might help but since I'm in the piloting profession at the moment, it hasn't helped much in my opinion. Nonetheless, I'm happy with my decision. I wouldn't trade that 4 years for anything. Heck, I'd have loved a 5th year!

I also view my education as a real safety net in case I am furloughed, lose my medical, or decide to pursue an opportunity outside of flying.

-Neal

 

[mainah]

I graduated from Duke in 1999. I don't think my alma mater had much to do with my getting hired at Continental Express or with my job as a CFI out in CA. I do believe however that a college degree helps (the area of study doesn't matter) more than not having one.

Personally, I chose Duke because it was the very best school that I was accepted to. It was definitely the right choice for me. I flew on the weekends and graduated with a degree in Economics and a CFI/MEI, etc. Sure, if I was going to become an investment banker or apply to law school, the "Duke" name might help but since I'm in the piloting profession at the moment, it hasn't helped much in my opinion. Nonetheless, I'm happy with my decision. I wouldn't trade that 4 years for anything. Heck, I'd have loved a 5th year!

Yeah, my four year degree was the best five years of my life!

 

[bigD]

Heck, I'd have loved a 5th year!

Oh, the 5th year is a good one. And the 6th year is even better!

Get ready for my Horns in New York in a couple of weeks!

 

[Stifler's Mom]

I have you both beat...7 years for a BS

 

[bigD]

But I'm not done yet!

(it'll be 6.5 when I graduate, so you still have me beat, though)

 

[Chief_FE]

How about 25 years?

Graduated HS - 1978
BS from Embry Riddle - 2002

 

[bigD]

Now wait a minute Chief - we need to set up some rules here. You need to be *enrolled* for that amount of time!

 

[fLYbUDDY]

Now wait a minute Chief - we need to set up some rules here. You need to be *enrolled* for that amount of time!

He said ERAU, so I wouldn't doubt he was *enrolled* for that long .

That school excels in holding students back! (At least in the ATC program.)

 

[mainah]

He said ERAU, so I wouldn't doubt he was *enrolled* for that long .

That school excels in holding students back! (At least in the ATC program.)

I'm a Riddle Prescott grad and they didn't hold me back, Prescott Brewing Company, Gurley Street Grill and Fat Tire held me back.

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

Not unless it is known that a company desires an Ivy League degree, which would be hard to imagine in the aviation biz, think a degree is a degree. Now if you want to go into management that may be another story - which it is.

If you want an Ivy League education but don't want to pay Ivy League prices try Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY.
Think of it as Harvard without shoes.

 

[LAPD Airship]

I graduated from Duke in 1999. I don't think my alma mater had much to do with my getting hired at Continental Express or with my job as a CFI out in CA. I do believe however that a college degree helps (the area of study doesn't matter) more than not having one.
-Neal

Ummmm, Duke is not Ivy League

Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Darmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale....for those of you that don't know

Back to the original question....NO, it doesn't. At least not in aviation.

Undergraduate degrees can be in basket weaving from Central Ohio No Name University.

Ivy league university's open doors in the social circles of business, but that is about it. They also let you get into more prestigious graduate schools which is where the school name really matters.

NYU undergrad is nothing special....Graduate school is a whole other matter.

Don't ever expect to go to a Major Airline without a bachelors degree. They may not "require" it...but they do, believe you me.